Jacqueline James: Lenten altar frontal
Title: Lenten altar frontal
Artist: Jacqueline James (b. 1961, British)
Location: York Minster (C of E)
Date: 1990
Made using traditional rug weaving techniques to create the patterns in her weaving, this Lenten altar frontal by Jacqueline James has hung in York Minster for three decades. Permanently fixed to the High Altar, it is now sometimes covered by other altar frontals, but when uncovered, radiates colour out across the High Altar. James often custom dyes the weft yarn, prior to the weaving process. While James is not explicitly a tapestry weaver, the central point of the frontal was executed using a tapestry weaving technique.
Jacqueline James (b. 1961, British) was born in Scotland, but grew up in Pacific Northwest, USA, later returning to live in York, UK. From 1985 to 1988 she studied Woven Textile Design and Construction at Harrogate College of Art and Technology where she focused on rug weaving.
In 1989 James established her weaving studio in York where she now designs and makes bespoke flat woven handmade rugs and wall hangings for commission and exhibitions on her Swedish floor loom. James has exhibited throughout the UK and her work is included in public and private collections in the UK and North America. Major commissions include weaving for Westminster Abbey, York Minster and The British Library.
James has run textile-related workshops and arts residencies in schools, museums and galleries, and has been awarded with the Frink Award of Achievement, presented at the Women of the Year Lunch Event in London (1993), the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Travelling Fellowship (1997), and the Theo Moorman Trust Bursary Award for Weaving (1998). (Source)
Further Information
Medium: Textile (yarn)
Permanent display (although sometimes covered)
See Jacqueline James’s Lenten altar frontal on the Ecclesiart map here.